Category Archives: This just in. . .

Mike Minton email October, 2012

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                 In 1996  my father, Bernie, and I went to the Navy Game in Dublin on September 1, 2012 I completed the circle by attending the Emerald Isle Classic in Dublin with my son, Michael.  We were joined at the Pep Rally by classmate Tom Moore.  We also met Bridget Keating, the Senior Class President of the 2008 graduating class of ND.  The meeting of Senior Class Presidents produced an agenda for our reunions of the Class of 1968 and the Class of 2008.  You can hear about The Minton Firm on WLS 890 AM during Chet Coppock’s Pregame Show.  Also attended a ND Tailgate Party at Soldier’s Field for the Miami game with members of the Class of ’48, ’56, ’68 and ’69.  Daughter Melanie was married on the Beach in Grand Beach on June 9, 2012 with a cheering squad of 150 in attendance.  Daughter Morgan, a DePaul graduate, is sitting for her CPA Exam.  Daughter Annie is a junior at Northern and my granddaughter Madison (ND class of 2026) just turned 8.  After 40 years of “practicing” I finally got it right.  The Wall Street Journal and The Tribune named The Firm as “Chicago’s Top Rated Lawyers” for 2012.  I was also appointed State Coordinator for the National Board of Trial Advocacy and Family Law Chair Elect for the AAJ (American Association for Justice).  Only missing 19 home games since 1968, I look forward to our tailgating and reminiscing about the Era of Ara.

Michael H. Minton

Senior Class President

Class of 1968

Eddie Kurtz – three novels published 2011

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Thanks to John Walsh for forwarding this announcement from Eddie Kurtz in New Orleans, who has published three novels suitable for flanking A Confederacy of Dunces on everyone’s bookshelf.  Eddie may be the most creative member of our class, though he has competition from some of the excuses given by Pat Hermann and Dick Farina for failure to submit papers.

Dec. 9, 2011

Dear Friends, Relatives, Colleagues, and Assorted Off-beat People Everywhere

As you may or may not know, I have spent a good deal of time the last few years writing novels about stories that intrigued me for one reason or another. I wanted to let you know that my first three novels, Sex & Gravity, August in New Orleans, and My Casanova were recently published as multi-format ebooks by Smashwords (smashwords.com). All three books are now available for an initial discount of 50% until March 15, 2012

Sex & Gravity tells the story of Snooky Barnes, former one-hit-wonder New Orleans musician, and now family man and high school physics teacher, in a mid-life crisis that sends him careening off across the country in search of love, sex and a regaining of his lost musical mojo. On a wild, Kerouac-esque bolt to find what he thinks is the love of his life, he encounters a parade of wild, engrossing adventures, and zany and endearing characters that come into his life on his search for love. While he doesn’t get the girl, he finally gets his career and mojo back, and learns unexpected life lessons, and surprise twists of fate that change his him forever.

August in New Orleans is the story of a writer who returns home to New Orleans in 2005 amid success with a novel, LEVEES, based very loosely on her family and past life there. While home, she confronts the pains of a dysfunctional family, a history of dark, hidden events, and a sister with whom she has always had a painful, antagonistic, emotionally crippling relationship. The arrival of Hurricane Katrina changes all that, and puts everything at risk, including her life and those around her. As the city is destroyed by the hurricane, her family and life are almost destroyed also, but are pulled back from the abyss through bravery, love and eventual reconciliation.

My Casanova tells the story of a young, female history professor who, seeking a boost to both her personal and professional life, writes a biography and critique of Casanova, perhaps history’s most famous male seducer, from a modern, liberated woman’s view point. Complications and trouble ensues when Casanova comes back to her in various forms and permutations to argue his case, and influence her judgment of him and his morality, especially with regard to his relationship with women. Double trouble comes in the form of the handsome, dashing, sometimes womanizing publisher who takes a chance on her and her book, and gradually becomes the real, living Casanova in her life.

Here is the link to my author profile:

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/eddiekurtz

Here’s the direct link to my book page, where you can read a summary of each book and sample the books for no charge, or purchase them:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=Eddie+Kurtz

Until March 15, 2002, each of these books features an electronic coupon for a 50% discount per download. The download price with these coupons is $2.00.

Use the following discount coupon codes for each book to get the discount at purchase.

Sex & Gravity- FB46F

August in New Orleans- AU58H

My Casanova- DU74U

If you would, and if you’re so motivated, please take a moment to spread the word about my books to anyone and everyone you know who you think may be interested.

Thank you so much for your support!

Sincerely,

Eddie

For further information, contact:

Eddie Kurtz

eddiekurtz@aol.com

kurtzeddie@gmail.com

504-931-8049

 

Coming in 2012!!

1968– A story of friendship, hope, tragedy and enduring love amid the cataclysmic, world shattering political and social events of 1968.

Devil’s Food– A modern Faustian fable about a devil’s own take on evil, the religious dogma of Sister Katherine, and the metaphorical importance of baseball.

 

Holy Cross College has John Paige as president

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On Friday, September 23, 2011, events beginning with a morning Mass led to the imageafternoon installation of Brother John Paige, C.S.C., as the president of Holy Cross College.  Father John Pearson, C.S.C. was among the celebrants of the Mass and among the guests during the day's celebrations.  See the South Bend Tribune editorial pasted below and you will know something of the ambition and energy Brother John Paige brings to the college.  For his part, Father John Pearson now represents St. Mary's College as well as Notre Dame.  Father John heads the ministerial services staff serving 1,500 young women.  “Someone's got to do it,” Father John says.

South Bend Tribune editorial September 29, 2011

Holy Cross hails a new leader

September 29, 2011

Congratulations to Brother John R. Paige
who was officially installed as president of Holy Cross College on Friday.

He has been serving the office since
January.

Holy Cross just 10 years ago was best
known as a junior college transferring students to the University of
Notre Dameimage. Today it's just as often
the recipient of transfers, a four-year school serving 450 full-time students.

Paige hopes to build on that success by
engaging more adults and transfer students from Ivy Tech Community College and other
institutions.

He already has enriched the school's
experience by pushing to integrate various aspects of student life on campus.

He proposes next to expand Holy Cross'
Center for Intergenerational Learning and add a gerontology major to the
college's current minor, which could well improve the quality of life of aging
Americans everywhere, and especially here. One initiative involves training
individuals to help the aging baby boomer population navigate medical and social services.

Paige's goal is to increase Holy Cross'
enrollment to about 700 full-time students. He believes the current facilities
can accommodate that growth.

Meanwhile, the campus overall soon will
expand into 14 acres being vacated in the relocation of St. Joseph's High
School from Indiana 933 near Angela Boulevard to downtown South Bend.

Paige, a 1968 graduate of Notre Dame,
earned two master's degrees and a doctorate elsewhere and has served in Rome as vicar general of
the Congregation of Holy Cross. We welcome him back and look forward to the
contributions he will bring our entire community through his work at Holy Cross
College.

Another low-key note from Mike Burgener, August, 2011

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(After Larry “Monk” Forness sent a note to a group of us):

HEY TOM!!!  got to watch out for that monk!!  been working hard since i
retired in 08….i am a coach for crossfit and traveling the world
holding coaching certifications/seminars for crossfit
trainers….teaching them to teach their clients how to snatch and clean
and jerk.  go figure!!! amazing….i have been blessed.  

currently
i am in ogden, ut on a harley ride!!  going about 6000 miles riding
thru montana and canada then heading home…..of course i am doing 3
crossfit gigs too!!!  it has been fun!!
hope all is well with you!!

burgener
“Comfort
is the difference between the way things are and the way we expect them
to be. Comfort is an illusion. It is neither present nor welcome here.”
mike burgenermikeburgener@mac.com

Brian & Susan Schanning – sailing Canadian maritimes 08/11

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Hi Tom:

 Great getting your latest ’68 news, and finding out Bob’s (Brady) courageous golf battles.

We’re
up in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia on our boat since mid-June.  We’ve been
sailing the neighboring waters and recently got back from a cruise of
the southwest coast of Newfoundland.  Attached is a picture of our boat
anchored in one of the fjords (Aviron Bay).  Great area to get away from
the debt debate and economic news.

 We’ll be starting home tomorrow and expect to be home in Marblehead by 1st or 2nd week in September.  Looking forward to going out for the Navy game with John Mulligan.

 Best to Nancy.

 Regards,

 Brian

Joke forwarded by Mike Obiala July 2011

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From:
Joe Gibbons <gibbons@gpss.com>
Subject: President
To: “Thomas Gibbs” <tglaw@gibbs.net>,
“MICHAEL OBIALA” <mobiala@sbcglobal.net>
Date: Wednesday, July 27, 2011, 3:57 AM

Dear
Guys,

A good joke that only a few can really appreciate.

The year is 2016 and the United States
has just elected the first woman as President. 

A few days after the election the president-elect calls her father and says,
'So, Daddy, I assume you will be coming to my inauguration?' 

'I don't think so. It's a 16 hour drive, your mother isn't as young as she used
to be, and my arthritis is acting up again.' 

'Don't worry about it Daddy, I'll send Air Force One to pick you up and take
you home. A limousine will pick you up at your door.' 

'I don't know. Everybody will be so fancy. What would your mother wear?' 

'Oh, Daddy', replies the president-elect, 'I'll make sure she has a wonderful
gown custom made by the best designer in Washington.' 

'Honey,' Dad complains, 'you know I can't eat those rich foods you and your
friends like to eat.' 

The President-to-be responds, 'Don't worry Daddy. The entire affair is going to
be handled by the best caterer in Washington,
I'll ensure your meals are salt free Daddy, I really want you to come.' 

So Dad reluctantly agrees, and on January 20, 2017, the first woman is being
sworn in as President of the United
States. In the front row sits the new
president's Dad and Mom. Dad notices the Supreme Court Justice sitting next to
him and leans over and whispers, 'You see that woman over there with her hand
on the Bible, becoming President of the United States.' 

The Justice whispers back, 'Yes I do.' 

Daddy says proudly, “Her brother played football for Notre Dame.”

Sandy Carrigan's “Great '68” Statement June 17, 2011

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Great 68


Mary
and I would like to thank everyone for being here with us tonight. It is really
incredible to me that so many of our dear friends could come together to
celebrate the Great 68. Our son, Chris, asked how we were able to get so many
of my classmates to turnout, to which his mother replied, “free drinks”.


I’m
not sure if it was the same for everybody here, but by June of 68 there was no
doubt that the best four years of my life had just come to a close. I had
enjoyed some truly great experiences with an amazing group of people, and best
of all, I had met the woman that I would marry.


It
seemed like all of a sudden everything changed. 
I had a 54 hour work week, other responsibilities, grad school classes,
and rent to pay. I will confess to you tonight for the first time publicly that
I suffered from depression my first year away from campus. All right, maybe it
wasn’t clinical depression, but certainly a funk. ..and the major reason for it
was…none of you were there. Gone were the days when any time of the day or
night no matter what you wanted to do, there was someone to do it with, even if
it meant just choking down a beer.  Sure,
I missed the things that we did, but
most of all, I missed the people who made those times special.


As
spring of 68 drew to a close, there was no shortage of guys to have a beer
with, and it seemed like almost everyone had a nick name. Look around you
tonight.  Forty three years later, men in
their mid sixties are still being called Gibby, Flame, Wheels, Rock, Cuz, Rabbit,
Heater, Dirk, Baby Earl, Skip, Daisy, X, Lunch, and if they could be here with
us tonight, Duke and Kemo. Though the names were uttered with affection, not
everyone could have a cool name like Wheels or Duke. I remember sending one of
our classmates a letter to his home over Christmas break senior year, addressed
to Mr. Lloyd D. B. Adams. His mother, as luck would have it, received the mail
and of course asked Lloyd what the initials D. B. stood for. He told his mom
that D. B. was an abbreviation for his nick name….Douche Bag. “No, Mom, its all
right. Douche Bag is a term of affection. They all love me,…really”.


I
feel like I have a huge amount to be thankful for. I have had a wonderful life.
Next to my simply amazing family, high on the list of what I appreciate most is
the wonderful friends that I have. You being here tonight pays witness to how
very special this group is. You truly are the Great 68.


We
are grateful:

For
the joy, laughter, and good times that you have brought into our lives,

For
nights well spent at the Library, Nicolas, the Bird, and Corbys

For
parties in the fishbowl and keggers in the bomb shelter.

For
the inter hall football champs of Sorin Hall.

For
our fifteenth reunion with multiple moon shots and Donna dancing on the bar.

For
social commissioner Bryan Dunigan, without whose efforts we would not have been
together nearly as often

For
golf at Timber Trails and pizza at Longfield Hill 

For
rugby, which enriched the Notre Dame experience

For
trips to Cal Berkley and Jamaica.

For
the Ireland trip; Eamon de Valera in the rose garden; a coal miners pub on Good
Friday night; a new dance sensation at Arthur’s Pub; a bath half given to
Francis Malloy; Irish flags and Irish songs; Bill and Mary Jane, Honest and
Annie.

For
Captain America
on the big top.

For
the Era of Ara

For
Frisbee on the main quad on the one sunny day each spring

For
the solitude of the grotto


For
these and so many other great times together, we are grateful.


Thanks!
Thanks for the memories!

– Sandy Carrigan, June 17, 2011, Evanstson, IL

Ken Castrop 4/25/11: Deaths of Jack Burkhardt and Doug Lubbers

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Tom,

Two of our classmates and two of my very best friends died within the last eight days. 

 Jack
Burkhardt (aka “The Bulk”) passed away last Sunday, April 17.  He had
open heart surgery in January and never fully recovered.  Jack was
residing in Nashville.  He will be remembered most recently as the guy
who brought Irish Vodka to the class of ’68 tailgates.

 Doug
Lubbers died this morning at about 5 am, at the end of a 13 year fight
with lymphoma.  He was a resident of Allentown, PA, and died in the
Hospital at UPenn in Philly.

 I
have attached a photo of, from left to right, Jack Gilmour, Doug
Lubbers, Jack Burkhardt, and Ken Castrop, all aero grads of the class of
‘68, taken last fall after a round of golf before the Michigan game. (See folder “Photos of the Photogenic” on this blog.)

 May they rest in peace.

 Ken Castrop

Castrop Wolfe Development Co.

CWB Property Management, Inc.

5775 Perimeter Dr., Suite 290

Dublin, Ohio 43017

ken.castrop@cwbpm.com

614-793-2244 ext. 11

www.cwbpm.com